Heat-insulated shipping container



heb. 24. w25 152mm C. BIRDSEYE HEAT INSULATED SHIPPING CONTAINER Filed Oct. '7, 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet l f Y l) A Feb.. 24., 1925.

C. BIRDSEYE HEAT .LNSULATED SHIPPING CONTAINER Filed OCC. '7, 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 web. 24, w25. L5M-w? C. BIRDSEYE HEAT LNSULATED SHIPPING CONTAINER Filed Oct. '7, 1922 3 Smets-Sheet 5 i l f' 4 l I 2 C @5; i g

f Y l Yl Y* jfl/@niort l Clarencerdsgye,

Patented Feb. 24, 19251.

UNITED STATESl PATENT i OFFICE.

CLARENCE BIRDSEYE, F YORKTOWN HEIGHTS, NEW YORK., ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO FORT WAYNE CORRUGATED PAPER C0., 0F FCR-T `W.AYNE,

IDLANA.

EEAT-INSULATED SHIPPING CON TAINEB.

Application led October 7, 1922. Serial No. 592,938.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, CLARENCE BmDsnYn,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Yorktown Heights, in the county.` of Westchester and State of New York, have in-l vented certain new and useful Improvements in Heat-Insulated Shipping Containers, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide an improved container for edible articles, particularly perishable foods, which by reason of their nature must be maintained at, below, or above a given temperature for a considerable time, as for instance, until used by, or at least iintil sold to, the consumer, in order to prevent decay orputrefaction, or to preserve their characteristic liavor, tenderness, general freshness, etc.

Another object is to provide such a container with walls which are filled with suitable relatively incompact heat-insulating material, which prevents air from circulating through said walls, the said material and the so-called dead-air spaces, thereby forming a highly eiiicient heat-insulating medium, said material for many reasons preferably being of a brous nature.

A further object is to provide a container of this character, but formed of the least expensive yet highly suitable materials which are especially adapted for shipping, as by express or even through theparcel post of the mail service, and which are suiiiciently inexpensive to produce as to make it unnecessary to provide for the return of the containers.

A still further object is to provide a container having heat-insulating walls composed of sectional units, which are removably inserted within the surrounding walls of an outside container, together with further novel details of construction and operation as hereinafter fully brought out, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig.- 1 is a vertical transverse section through a shipping container embodying the present invention in one of ing the interior of the container devoi of its preferred'forins Fig. 2 is a perspectivel contents; Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line 4-4 of Fig. v1; Fig. 5 is a vertical transverse view of a shipping container somewhat similar to that shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, but illustrating wall units which are of themselves formed differently than previously illustrated; and Fi 6 is a horizontal sectional View of a still ther form showing -another modification of the side wall insulating units.

Referring to the drawin in the embodiment of the invention use for an illustration, an outside container is provided, the same constituting double-faced corrugated board, and comprising upwardly extending, oppositely positioned side walls 1, connected by end walls 2,).said walls co-operating to surround a compartment which is closed at its bottom by means of any suitably arranged flaps 3 while the upper edge portions of the side walls 1 are provided with inwardly extending longitudinall mounted flaps 4, which extend across an normally maintain in operative closed position a pair of flaps 5, which are hingedly mounted upon the upper edge portions of the end walls 2. however, practically innumerable forms of container constructions can be employed in addition to that specifically described.

For .the purpose of providin a false bottom and a heat-insulating wa within the bottom of the container thus described, there are provided preferably a pair of inverted cup-shaped members which are inserted into the surroundin container, either independently, or may be made from a single piece of corru ated board. The latter construction is i ustrated in Fig. 1, wherein a base portion 6 of corrugated board is provided, while adjacent to the laterally opposite edge portions of which extend upwardl parallel sections 7, which at their upper1 imits are folded inwardly, to form horizontally extending sections 8, which lie in a common plane, each `of said horizontal sections being thence turned downwardly and parallel with each other to form inverted cupshaped containers for portions of the .insulatin material, and at the same time providing a substantially rigid or unyielding support 9, for preventing the horizontal sections 8=from sagging under the` weight of the contents of the container.

This arrangement may obviously be inverted so that the sections 6 and a are trnspsed one with the other. Y

Such a bottom heat-insulating -member,j formed either of separate units, or lof la y. single piece of corrugated board as described,

is filled with any suitable form lof inexpensive preferably fibrous heat-insulating material 1010,Lsuch for instance as lrapok, be-

tween the base 6 and upper horizontal secboard comprising an upwardly extending inwardly positioned section 12, folded outwardly at its up er and lower extremities to form substantially parallel sections 13, which terminate outwardly in respectively l.downwardly and upwardly folded sections- 14 which repose fiat against the inner surf faces of the outside container walls.

. These last-named sections 14 also maintain in operative position a section of board 15 which operates to retain the kapolr 11 within theside wall units, and as seen in Figs. 1 and 4, provides a dead-air space 16 between each of said boards 15 and the adjacent container walls 1 or 2,'as the case may be. This construction of the side walls also permits articles to strike ,or impinge against the outside surfaces ofthe container walls during the usual more or less rough handling to iwhich containers are subjected, without the blow being conveyed to the insulating unit, or in most instances even to the neighboring sections 15. This resultl is produced by virtue of the fact that the elasticity,yet relative rigidity, of the walls 1 and 2 absorb a considerable portion of substantially any blow which they may receive, so that.

anysmall portion of the blow which might continue through and be imparted to the sections 15 would be so reduced in strength as to prevent any material injury to the j atter section. p

However, even if both the container'wall and insulating unit sections 15 should be-v come punctured, the filler is of such naturev as substantially or entirely to prevent its bulk from escaping throu h such openin as might be made, especially in the case o such long fibered materials as kapok, hai'r, cotton, linters, etc., but somewhat less so with relatively finely divided cork, sawdust, bran and the like. The interior stora e giacev 17, shownin the drawings, is normal y ed with perishable materials packed in ample? 4.any suitable manner, after which the inner jlid (Fig. 2) is placed over the said contents insuch manneras to provide a heat-insulating unit closure for the top of the container. y This closure consists preferably of a plane section 18, made of corrugated board in the 1 form'shown, parallelwith, yet in spaced relationfrom, a section of similar board 19, between`which boards is retained kapok or other insulating material 20. The opposite end portions 21 of the section 19 are folded inparallel relation and extend toward the member 18, terminating in flan es 21* secured to the marginal portions o the member 18 by means of staples 22 or other suitable fastening means. After placing the inner closure in position as shown in Fig. 1, the container flaps 4 and 5 are folded into position and secured in any suitable manner, ssl by means of cord, adhesive tape, or the ire.

Relative to the formation of the laterally positioned heat-insulating lining within the preferred embodiment of this invention, reference is made to Fig. 4 for a better understanding of the sections 12 of the said lining, which latter are shown as comprising a single, angularly bent, continuous corrugated board'member; .the upwardly extending sections 15 being formed from a continuous, angularly bent corrugated member, separated substantially uniformly from the container walls v1 and 2 by a continuous relatively slender air space 16; and the ller 11 like wise being continuous circumferentially of the box between the members 12 and 15. i

Referring now to Fig. 5, an outside container is illustrated as comprisin the same elementary parts as that herein fore de.`

scribed. The bottom heat insulating unit 23 however is illustrated as being without any central supports, suoli as the sections 9 illustrated in Fig. 1. This latter construction being permissible where the contents to be shipped are relatively light in character, or whereby reason of the nature of the filler used or the degree with which it is stuffed in position, the insulating unit is suiliciently strong to support the contents of the container.

The inner closure shown in this form is similar to that hereinbefore described,- while, however', the laterally positioned wall insulatingl units are formed in a slightly different nianner. Each of these units oompisestwo pieces of preferably corrugated ard, which in cross-section are represented *by the letter L, each comprising a shank of corruguated board are preferably secured to ether after the space therebetween is ed with kapok or other insulating material. l

Referring to Fig. 6, the outer or surrounding container is also similar to those hereinbefore described, while the walls of the container as a completed unit are made heat insulating in character by inserting within the container and adjacent to the sldes and ends 'thereof sections of corrugated board, fwhich are formed hollow and filled with ka ok or other fibrous heat-insulating materlal. ,Each of these heat-insulatin units comprises preferably an inwardly posltioned vertically extending sections 27, 'having end portions 28 which diverge outwardly and extend into the angular corner portions of the surrounding container, whence leachv section isl folded so that the end portions 29 lie in a common plane closely adjacent to the outside container walls 1 and `2, respectively,

The lower extremity of each of these units is closed by contact with the heat-insulating unit lying upon the bottom of the container, while the upper-portions of thev laterally positioned units are closed] in any suitable manner as by means of. extensions of the board forming the inner compartment walls 27, but which detail is not necessary to illustrate. l l l In each of the forms of shipping-container herein described, it is to be noted that, While the deviceis suicentlgy inexpensive to make its preservation and return vunnecessary as compared with many more expensive containers used for the purpose of shipping perishableedible articles or materials, requiring to be maintained at or near given predetermined temperatures, each of the heat-insulating units on the other hand has been so designed as to be replaceable in the event that it is materially dama ed in transit and it is desired to preserve t e complete container intact.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is A container, comprising a casin a lining for said casing comprising units lled with a relatively loose librous material to form dead-air heat-insulating spaces surrounding the interior of said casing, each of the units adjacent the side walls of said `casing being formed of an upright section of libre boar spaced from the walls of the casing and atl its upper and lower ends directed outwardly and thence towards each other to form flanges lying against the inner surface of the casing, and a separate section of fibreboard parallel with but spaced from the adjacent surface of said casin by. said flanges to provide a hollow dea -air space and pneumatic cushion immediately within the walls of said easingI and substantially 65 surrounding said lining units.

In testimony whereof I have aiiixed my signature.

CLARENCE BIRDSEYE 

